Author: 206 Trans Liberation

Tomorrow, July 8th, is the due date for all ballot initiative petitions in Washington state. The hate groups promoting I-1515 will be collecting signatures up to the very last minute. All signatures must be turned in to the Secretary of State office in Olympia by 5pm.

Now is the time to make an impact! Resist the petitions till the final moment! The rich diversity of tactics used thus far have decided the outcome of day to day events. Together, we can decide the outcome of this campaign.

TUF invites you to the very first TUFFEST: A celebration of visual art, performance, and education with a goal of uplifting, expanding, and celebrating the female, non-binary, and trans electronic music community.

<<Elysia Crampton>> [Blueberry Records / Break World Records / Seattle Debut!]
Elysia Crampton is a Bolivian-born, U.S.-based producer. Her album “American Drift” (on FaltyDL’s label Blueberry Recordings) re-examines American narratives and gives trans-ontologies a voice and resonance. Blending sounds from critically marginalized sources, with heavy emphasis on Latin genres, Crampton creates captivating music deeply embedded in ideas. TUFFEST will feature Elysia’s “Dissolution of the Sovereign: A Time Slide into the Future,” an audio-visual play that unfolds as a DJ production and live performance, bridging the oral history tradition and theater legacy of the Aymara people with Elysia’s own trans-femme abolitionist grasp of futurity.

<<Patricia Hall (of Soft Metals)>> [Portland, OR]
In Soft Metals, an electronic music duo from Portland, Oregon, Hall is inspired by a diverse array of synthesizer music. Her sound lies somewhere between dance music, austere synthetic pop, and experimental electronic composition. Soft Metals’s debut self-titled album came out in July of 2011. FACT magazine called them “one of the most accomplished and ambitious of the myriad new synth-pop acts coming out of the States.” For TUFFEST, Hall will perform new solo material live in front of an audience for the first time.

<<Kaori Suzuki>> [Magic Echo Music / Oakland, CA]
Kaori Suzuki is an electronic musician who primarily uses synthesis, acoustic recordings, and custom-made machines produced through her company, Magic Echo Music. Currently based out of Oakland, California, Suzuki is pursuing her MFA in Electronic Music at the prestigious Mills College. Her studies have led her to work with the open source audio programming language, SuperCollider, which will be the basis of her performance at TUFFEST. Suzuki’s oeuvre includes music for film, installation, and improvisations, which have been performed or displayed in Berlin, New York city, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle. She and her partner, Jonathan James Carr, have a forthcoming release on Further Records.

<<DoNormaal>> [Seattle, WA]https://soundcloud.com/donormaal
“Without a doubt, the award for “hardest hustle in Seattle” goes to Christianne Karefa-Johnson, aka DoNormaal. In the past eight months since her incredible debut LP Jump or Die came out, Karefa-Johnson must have played something close to 50 or 60 shows. That’s all on top of spearheading her own artist collective (69/50), playing a raved-about, sold-out opening set for Santigold two weeks ago, and heading to New York to study with the Underground Producers Alliance after winning the organization’s first Andreas Robbins Scholarship. That hard work has paid off—the MC is one of the most buzzed-about new artists in town, and rightfully so. Her left-field, experimental approach to hip-hop, full of woozy, eerie textures and inimitably playful poetics, is a shot in the arm to the local scene.” – Seattle Weekly

<<Nightspace>> [Seattle, WA]https://soundcloud.com/nightspace
“Skye sounds like a multitude, uses a keyboard and a drum machine to make moody beats they dub “dreamcore,” and their able to sing in both very high and low registers and self-harmonize with their samples, which had me looking for a second band member. Nightspace’s sound is somehow both languid and frenzied—their performance a carefully choreographed series of movements and expressions that involve their entire body.” – Seattle Weekly

<<Red Alder>> [Seattle, WA]http://soundcloud.com/red_alder
Red Alder is the solo project of Kelsie Brown from Seattle. Under this moniker she creates emotive, atmospheric music influenced by ambient, dream pop, and classical music. Her newest works bring in elements of techno and house music to make the listener feel uneasy and hypnotized, and reminisce about their own anxiety. She has self-released 2011’s Dissociation EP and 2012’s well-received Empty Staircases full-length, and has a forthcoming release coming later this year.http://redalder.bandcamp.com/http://soundcloud.com/red_alder

12:00PM – 1:00PM – Northwest African American Museum
HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU USE THE WORD ‘SOUNDSCAPE’?
Panel lead by Rebecca Zweig and Dylan Tupper Rupert discussing experiences in music journalism with local and national female/non binary writers.
SIGN UP: http://bit.ly/295j8ZL

12:00PM – 2:00PM – Cafe Weekend
SOUND-MAKING AND ABLETON: TOOLS FOR ENHANCING AUDIO WITHOUT READING THE WHOLE DAMN MANUAL FIRST
w/ Kayla Selene. Using Ableton as a platform, Kayla will show participants how to use some concrete tools to enhance or manipulate audio samples. Field recordings and music samples will both be treated in this workshop. The workshop is intended for beginners to Ableton who want to start making quality audio samples for music production or DJing right away.
SIGN UP: http://bit.ly/29bCtHz

12:30PM – 1:30PM – Judkins Park
x=Synth(\tuf);Kaori Suzuki will be giving a talk to share her experiences using SuperCollider for synthesis and performance. It will include a live coding demo and a discussion about the SuperCollider community over web media.
SIGN UP: http://bit.ly/29Mv3dm
Note * this workshop is now closed to cis-men only *

1:00PM – 2:00PM – Northwest African American Museum
AMERICA’S IMPRESSIVE EDUCATION SYSTEM a.k.a AMERICA’S OPPRESSIVE EDUCATION SYSTEM
Presented by Powerful Voices‘ Zaria Diggins: This workshop about how disparities and social inequalities, such as racism and classism, present in the education system. Participants will gain a general understanding of the idea of privilege and connect it to their personal experiences, and other aspects of social inequality.
SIGN UP: http://bit.ly/293P3L0

1:30PM – 2:30PM – Judkins Park
TO ALTER OR ABANDON? DISRUPTING THE CULTURAL ESTABLISHMENT
As people of color in Seattle, when is working within institutional power worth the struggle, and when is it advantageous to organize alternatives with your communities? Join TUF Members Minh Nguyen & Leena Joshi in a candid conversation with Alaina Caldwell, host of the local podcast Hella Black Hella Seattle; Renee Jarreau Greene, DJ and organizer of Darqness, a dance party for queer and trans people of color; and Hollis Wong-Wear, musician in The Flavr Blue, Seattle city commissioner and frequent collaborator with Macklemore.
SIGN UP: http://bit.ly/29fI68P

Central to the genocidal project of white settler colonialism are the machinations of cisarchy. Colonialism creates mythological binaries of “man” and “woman” and pushes their realization through state power and popular violence. Today, people make plain their complicity with these systems.

Historically, environmentalism has focused on the experiences and goals of higher-income, white males. Today environmentalists that are looking to “diversify” the movement must put aside their own agenda, and seek to listen, learn from, and join the global movement of indigenous and communities of color.

The objectives for these workshops include:

Educate non-Native allies how to work with Native Americans and communities of color

Authentic alliance building that reflects indigenous-led organizing and strategies

Prepare participants for volunteer opportunities at Native community events

How to support Native activism rather than perpetuating colonial systems of oppression

Honor indigenous traditions without appropriating their cultures

Presenters:

Idle No More – Sweetwater Nannauck

MINE – Eleta Wright

Idle No More – Never Been Idle

This is a workshop about 500 years of indigenous resistance that began in 1492. With a Native American perspective and incorporating traditional teachings and stories, and how the Doctrine of Discovery was the foundation for the historic colonization, genocide, relocation, termination, forced assimilation of Native Americans.

To heal from historical trauma you must first understand how colonization has impacted indigenous people. By acknowledging our collective past and focusing on the present healing often leads participants to become aware of historical barriers that can be effectively removed in a safe and comfortable environment.

We will delve into the Natives connective with the land, environment, and Spirit. Explore how to incorporate ‘Spirit’ into the activism you do. Discuss how to start organizing nonviolent direct actions that are Spirit-led instead of ego/mind-led.

Idle No More – The 7th Fire

Explore how working with Natives toward common goals of social and environmental justice involves letting go of unconscious racism and privilege. Learn what it means to be a good ally, and how that taking the lead from indigenous activists and community leaders will benefit us all.

MINE – Building Bridges Across Differences

Meaningful Interpersonal Necessary Enrichment: What is mine is now yours to call mine.

Historically self-determination for African heritage people has been challenged and challenging due to the lack of information between the historical construction of our “race” and reality. A reality that recognizes the diverse experiences of all who have been homogenized for the sake of simplicity. Addressing the complexity of life and relationships requires a deep self-examination. It is from our experiences personal, familial, and communal that we are able to build bridges to one another.

The principles of Kwanzaa are the applied to meet the objectives of this workshop which include but are not limited to the following:

Provide tools that can be used immediately to talk about issues such as race, class and gender, in a more relaxed way

Inspire and generate connections using mundane, every day examples

Invite and re-ignite curiosity and thought-provoking conversations about our similarities and differences back into our everyday life

FOOD: Jeff Smith of American Friends Service Committee – Seattle Indian Program will be providing home-made spaghetti and beverages. Please bring a side-dish, salad, or snacks to share.

FEE FOR WORKSHOPS: there is no set fee to participate in these life-changing workshops, however we do accept financial donations. Thank you so much!

From the South –
I-5 North
Take EXIT 169 toward NE 45th St/NE 50th St.
Keep right to take the ramp towardN.E 45th St/Univ of Wash.
Keep right at the fork in the ramp.
Merge onto 7th Ave NE.
Take the 1st right onto NE 45th St.
Turn right onto Roosevelt Way NE.
Take the 3rd right onto NE 40th Aly. (it’s immediately after construction building)
Turn left onto 9th Ave NE.
4001 9TH AVE NE is on the right.

Mississippi HB 1523, a cornerstone of the current wave of cisarchal legislation, was scheduled to go into effect today. Late last night United States District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves issued a ruling against it. He concluded that “Religious freedom was one of the building blocks of this great nation, and after the nation was torn apart, the guarantee of equal protection under law was used to stitch it back together. But HB 1523 does not honor that tradition of religious freedom, nor does it respect the equal dignity of all of Mississippi’s citizens. It must be enjoined.”

The ruling orders “that the defendants; their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and any other persons who are in active concert or participation with the defendants or their officers, agents, servants, employees, or attorneys; are hereby preliminarily enjoined from enacting or enforcing HB 1523.”

The defendants named in the lawsuit are Governor Phil Bryant, Attorney General Jim Hood, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services John Davis and State Registrar of Vital Records Judy Moulder.

Governor Bryant is quoted in the Clarion-Ledger, responding: “Like I said when I signed House Bill 1523, the law simply provides religious accommodations granted by many other states and federal law… I am disappointed Judge Reeves did not recognize that reality. I look forward to an aggressive appeal.”

For signing HB 1523 and other actions the Family Research Council awarded Bryant with the inaugural “Samuel Adams Religious Freedom Award”. The Family Research Council crafted the strategy of pushing state level “bathroom bills” with the goal of legislating trans people out of existence. In accepting the award, he stated his fanaticism openly: “They don’t know that if it takes crucifixion, we will stand in line before abandoning our faith,”.

State Attorney General Jim Hood issued a statement reading, in part that “Our attorneys will evaluate this decision to determine whether or not to appeal all or parts of Thursday’s ruling.” and later that “I believe in the free exercise of religion and there will be a case in the future in which the U. S. Supreme Court will better define our religious rights.” He warned of the bitter campaign of attrition ahead: “An appeal could cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars… Even if we won and the injunction were set aside on appeal, the case would be remanded and proceed to trial over about two years.”

The forces of state authority may play at their rivalry over our lives for years to come. The time is now to build solidarity with popular struggles in Mississippi, to build towards our shared liberation.

Familias Unidas por la Justicia would like to invite you to join us and attend 4 Years of Struggle: March For A Fair Contract (4 Años de Lucha: Marcha Por Un Contrato Justo). As we enter into berry season, our fight for a union contract at Sakuma Bros. Berry Farm is at a critical juncture. Now more than ever we need community support and presence.

Join us on July 11th for the 4 year anniversary of FUJ’s historic formation and help celebrate the movement for farmworker justice.

Where: Gather in the parking lot at the corner of Cook Rd and Old Highway 99 in Burlington, WA. From there we will march (1.5 miles) to the Sakuma Bros. Farm Processing Plant for a short rally featuring FUJ members and supporters.

When July 11th @ 3:30pm

What to Bring: Signs, banners, bullhorns, and as many people as possible!

WAYS TO HELP

Help spread the word. Invite Friends, Family, and other community organizations. Share the flyer and the Facebook event for the march. Feel free to adapt the language in this message for newsletter blurbs, event calendars and social media.

For Questions please feel free to email Edgar at edgarf@foodjustice.org